Liquid-gage.



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

RAMEY'KIRKWOOD, OF ABBEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA.

LIQUID-GAGE.

App1cation led August 2, 1916.

struments and `-has particular' application to` a liquid gage formeasuring liquid such as gasolene or the like vwithin a tank, I havingshown my invention used in connection with a gasoleue tank ot anautomobile.

The chief characteristic ot' this invention resides in the provision ofa device of the above described character in which a por- Ation of thegage is formed of transparent material whereby the amount of liquidwithin the tank may be readily determined, the gage being formed withimproved means whereby upon breaking the transparent portion, the tlowof liquid to the gage will be automatically shut ofi', therebypreventing the accidental waste of the liquid.

Another object of this invention is to provide a device ot thischaracter in which the cut ott' means is inthe form ot a springpressedvalve, the valve and valve seat being of novel constructionwhereby the liquid will l,be positively prevcntedtrom flowing throughthe pipe and out of the gage when the latter is broken.

Another object of this invention is. to provide a device of thischaracter which contains the desirable features of simplicity,durability and etiiciency and turthermore a gage in which thetransparent portion may be readily replaced upon being broken. v

` Other objects of the invention will appear as the specification isread in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which :w

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the devicel showing the same arrangedupon one end of. an automobile seat. l

FigQ is a vertical sectional view showing the valve in open position.

Fig. l3 is a vertical sectional view et the 4valve in closed position,the transparent 'portion of the gage being partly broken away.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view 'of the valve seat. Referring to the drawingsin detail, my invention comprises a short section ot. .metal ,pipe/generally indicatedV as at A, which is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mav 1. 1917. i serial No. 112,790..

in this instance in the form of an elbow'.l The pipe has one of its endsformed with a reduced portion l which is exteriorly threaded whereby thesame may be connected to 50 pipe mounted under the seat of a vehicle.and in communication with i the supply i pipe, the pipe and tank 'notbeing shown, as it is thought that the same is unnecessary. ln thisinstance I have shown the e5 gage arranged upon one end wall ot a seatot' an automobile whereby the operator of the machine may readilydetermine the amount ot gasolene within the tank. The opposite end ofthe pipe A is interiorly threaded as at 2 to receive the valve seat 3.Theivalve seat 3 is provided centrally thereot.' with a circular opening4, the walls of which are recessed at diametrically opposite points asat 5. The periphery of the valve seat 3 is termed with acircumferentially extending flange 6 which is adapted to limit Athe downward movement ot the fluid withl in the pipe while the'other side ot theseat is of coneaved form-ation as at 7 for a pur- 0 pose whichwill behereinafter described. Mounted within thevertical portion of the pipe Aand below the valve seat 8 is a disk valve S which has its upper Sideconvexed and covered with suitable material 9 to 85 provide for afluid-tight seating of the valve. Disposed within the vertical portionof the pipe A. and between the valve S and the lower wall ot' thevertical section of the pipe is a coiled retractile spring l0 90 whichis adapted to exert its tension to torce the valve within the valve seat3 as* will be understood.

Mounted within the upper 'end ot the pipe A and secured thereto by meansof cement or other material is one end ot a cylindrical transparentmember 1l, the member being formed of glass, and provided with thegradnations l2. rThe niember lil is ot any suitable length and ot such adiameter as to surroui'ul thevalve seat 3, the latter serving` to closethe lower end of the member while the upper end otthe member is closedby the end Wall 13. The end ivall 13 is provided,` centrally thereofwith a threaded opening 14 in` which is mounted the threaded end of arod 15. The rod l5 isdisposed within the member ll and extendslongitudinally'th/ereot and is ot such alength as to project through andbeyond the opening 4 of 110 tl e/valve seat 3. It will be evident tromthe foregoing that as the lower end ot the rod l5 projects below the'alve seat 3, the valve S will be prevented from seating itself withinthe valve seat 3, as it will be understood that the coiled spring l0normally forces the valve upwardly. It will be evident therefore thatthe gasolene or other liquid which flows through the pipe A. the valve Sbeing unseated, will How into the member 11 and thus indicate by meansof the graduation 12, the exact amount of liquid or gasolene containedwithin the tank; this arrangement of elements being cleirlvshovvn inFig. 2 of the drawings, the end wall 13 being provided with a suitablevent opening.

In operation, the pipe A is connected to the supply tank in any suitablemanner, the member ll assuming a vertical position as is shown in Fig. lot' the drawings. The valve S being in open position, the liquid williiow through the pipe pass through the pipe 1 and the recesses 5 andsubsequently into the member ll whereby the co'ntents ot' the tank willbe determined as is previously described. In the event that the member1l is broken as the result ott vibration or collision. the rod 15 beingcarried by the upper end of the member ll. the rod will be removed tromthe valve seat il thus permitting the spring l() to i'orce the valve insnug engagement with the seat Il and thus obstructing the recesses 5whereby the llow ol' liquid through the pipe will be discontinued andthe accidental wasting ot'A the liquid prevented. The valve seat beingconaved and the valve eonvexed. the confronting faces ot' the valve andvalve seat will positively block the passage oii liquid through therecesses and thereby iorm a positive cutoll' means ior the gage.

'l`o restore tbe gage to its normal comlition, the remaining portion ot'the member ll may be readily removed ll'rom the upper end ot' the pipewhereby a new member may be readily substituted, it being understoodthat the rod l5 may then be used by removing the same t'rom thedisconnected portion ot the member l1. As the member 1l is formed ofglass, the same may be readily replaced at a small expense and the useof the gage again restored.

It is thought 'from the foregoing taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings7 that the construction and operation ot' thisdeviee will be apparent to those skilled in the art without furtherdescription, and that minor changes in size. shape. and proportion andminor details of construction may be made without departing lrom thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

1. A liquid gage embodying an elbow. a valve seat arranged in one endthereof. a glass tube rising from said end of the elbow. a springpressed val've disposed beneath said seat, a cap closing. the upper endof said tube, and a rigid element carried by said cap, and dependingrtherefrom through the valve seat forholding the valve normally nnseated,i

A liquid gage embodying an elbow, an apertured disk arranged in one endthereof amleonstituting h valve seat, a. glass tube -having .one endfitted ,.within one end' of the elbow immediately above the seat. aspring pressed valve disposed beneath the seat. a cap closing said tube,and a rigid element carried by the cap and disposed within the tube.said element passing through the aperture in said disk for holding thevalve normally unseated.

il. liquid gage embodying an elbow having a reduced exteriorly threadedend portion. being interiorly threaded at its opposite end` a diskthreaded in the last mentioned end and constituting a valve seat. saiddisk having an enlarged central opening, and relatively small opposedrecesses at opposite sides of the opening, a glass tube rising from thevelbow from a point above said seat, a closure for the upper end of thetube. and a rigid element depending from the cap and passing through thecentral opening in said seat for normally holding the valvel un- .mted.

In testimony7 whereof I allix my signature.

RAMEY KlRKWOOD.

